This was one of those kodak moments I think and I just had to tell. I was out turkey hunting this morning and I was sitting the top of this ridge with an overgrown old field behind me that the deer use as bedding/security cover and I had just finished a calling sequence on the slate when I heard something moving behind me.

Now you can imagine that my heart has jumped about twice the beats a minute that it should be so I very slowly rolled a bit and looked behind me. All of a sudden I spotted a deer slowly walking parallel with the stone wall that bordered the old field and it stopped right at the break in the wall. As I watched it I noticed that it had velvet nubs already (it was pretty close) which I thought was a little early. It stood there as if it was waiting for me to take it’s picture and I would have if my camera wasn’t still in my truck.

As it walked off I heard another one coming up and it took the same route as the first and even stopped for a moment in the opening t the stonewall. The whole time I was thinking why did I leave my camera in the truck, DUH.

It was a beautiful morning and very peaceful which was very much needed after yesterday procedure. It happened to be the last day to turkey hunt for me this year which was my first year. I didn’t fill a tag but no matter because I enjoyed my time in the woods and got to see deer everyday I went out with them not knowing I was sitting there. I came close a few times on a gobbler or two but it wasn’t to be this year.

I can honestly say though that I only wish I did this earlier because it is a lot of fun and I can’t wait till next spring to try my luck again. But, now is the time for me to get back to preparing for the years deer season.

By: Rick Kratzke

I am already working on this coming deer season. I have had my deer camera out for the past three weeks. The problem I am having is this one spot that has been good to me in the past is sort of under water now.

This pond has not held water for quite some time so I have been using the inside perimeter for taking pictures and actually for placing my tree stand. I can only hope that it slowly goes down at least a little bit so I can get in there.

During the past few years it has grown some real nice lush knee high green grass, hence the name “The Grass Pond”. For now I have the camera set up on one end where a trail passes between the waters edge and a small out cropping of rock. In this next picture you can just barely see the camera, it is about in the center.

I will be keeping an eye on this area as well as a couple more that I have found while out shed hunting. So I will keep you posted.

Well I’m back and I found bones. The only problem was that they were still moving.

I have been trying to get out every weekend for at least two hours to scout and do some shed hunting. During the week is impossible due to my schedule. Originally I was going to go out yesterday but my wife Heidi had to work so I stayed home and watched the little guy who ended up sick with a fever. So today (Sunday) I was able to get out for a bit before Heidi had to run out again.

I walked the East side heading South along the thicket and then headed into the small field and cris-crossed the whole thing but found nothing. On my way back I spooked a deer on the Southeast corner. The only thing I saw was a big white tail waving at me as it crashed through the thicket.

I continued on and when I got to the North end of the thicket I caught three deer sneaking around me from the Northwest corner, now that was cool. They didn’t make any noise and you could tell that they knew where I was and that they were being careful as not to make a sound. I don’t think they knew that I knew they were there. I watched till they were well out of sight before I continued on.

I didn’t find any antlers but it was a very nice outing anyway. I saw a total of 4 deer and took a few pictures of the small field, a nice buck rub, and a couple nice turkey prints. I saw a lot of turkey tracks between the thicket and the large field. Will have to keep in that in mind for the future, I am thinking about maybe trying Turkey Hunting for the first time.

The whole time out all I heard was guns shots at the Sportsmen club which was only a mile away as the crow flies and I was thinking to myself (someone’s having fun) wishing I was doing the same. It was chilly with a slight breeze out of the East-Southeast.

Great time anyway, even though I went home empty handed again. I didn’t have Heidi’s digital camera with me so I will have to post pictures when I get the disposable camera developed.

I went out this morning to do a little shed hunting in a spot that I have not visited to often. I found a lot of trails leading to this spot after trudging through a very thick swampy area. I slowly walked and looked around and when I got to this knoll that overlooks a field that is private land (I’m on state land) I noticed some very fresh tracks and then I heard them crashing into a thicket ahead.
The wind had changed direction and I alerted them. I did not get a chance to count how many there was but by the sounds there was a few. After that I headed for a old clearcut that is slowly getting overgrown and found some very nice rubs and very fresh to. I could not even get my thumb and trigger finger to touch when I tried to wrap them around the rub. It has been quite some time since I have seen rubs on trees that big.

I spent a good two hours out there looking around and it sure felt good. I didn’t find any antlers but, that was ok because I got out in the deer woods for awhile. It is where I go to get peace and regroup my thoughts. Half the time I find sheds when I am not looking for them and usually when I go out looking for them I actually end up scouting for the coming season. I still manage to find bone every so often and I am sure I will be going back out again so stay tuned, I might surprise you before to long with a picture or two. At least I am thinking positive.

The way my health has been the past few months I tend to look at things a little differently now, even though I am slowly getting better. I try to get out in the deer woods as much as possible so I can stay in touch with what is happening in my area’s.

I got this idea from Kristine over at “Hunt Smart Think Safety” after she posted about “Blizzard Safety Tips”. I know it might be slightly different but the basis to be safe than sorry is the same.

What I am talking about is a Fanny Pack that is small and can strap around your waste and carry all the necessary items for emergencies. Just some stuff for the (just in case) scenario.

Here is what I have in mine and before I head out into the deer woods I will grab it so if god forbids something happens I can help myself until help arrives.

Contents:

* fanny pack

* jug of water (keep hydrated)

* hunting knife (multiple uses)

* small first aid kit (for injuries)

* mini mag flash light (AA)

* glow stick (for light if batteries fail)

* compass and/or gps (give directions over your cell phone)

* matches in a ziplock (to make a fire)

* snack (for energy)

* whistle (draw attention to your location)

* 2 pkgs. of hand warmers (cold weather)

* poncho (for those unexpected rain showers)

I usually carry a cell phone with me and a walking stick that used to be my fathers so I think all that is better than going out empty handed. The only other thing I try to do when I go on my scouting hikes is tell my wife Heidi the general are that I will be in. It seems like a lot to carry but I don’t think the fanny pack weighs more than 2 to 3 pounds and it is clipped around your waste so it is not something that you have to carry.

So remember, you don’t have to be in the north woods of like Maine or Canada to get lost or injured. It can happen any where at any time.

Be safe not sorry………

I went for my first scouting hike of 2008 and it sure felt good to be out in the deer woods. The weather was great which made it a good day for a hike. It was partly cloudy and 44 degrees with 2 to 3 inches of crusty snow which made it a little noisy to walk. That is ok though because I was concentrating on some early shed drops, which I did not find any yet.

I was kind of pressed for time today so I did not get to go out and look at a couple of new area’s that I have been studying on topo maps so I went to my usual area but in a portion that I don’t generally hunt because it get’s hammered a lot with other hunters. By what I saw today I would say this area might be good for late season because all I saw was tracks and heavily used trails.

I headed for these two very old and overgrown fields that have turned into security/bedding area’s and walked the outer perimeter looking for a shed or two but, I think it is still kind of early for that. I did see tracks and trails and a couple of rubs from this past season. I slowly went up and over to the other side and started down to the other edge of the field. Again, tracks and trails all over. I came across a ripped open seat cushion from a hunter that apparently just discarded it after getting a hole in it. The only thing I can say is “You bring it with you then you take it with you”. I really do hate when people litter. Right next to that was a frozen and not that old gut pile so at least he or she was lucky and had tagged one.

I continued to follow the outer perimeter and ended up at the opposite end of the main field. I glanced at my cell phone to check the time and realized I needed to head out so I started to head back basically going around the whole field in a sort of round circle. When I got to the edge to cross the stone wall I had to struggle through some very heavy and thick pricker bushes when all of a sudden a deer popped up and ran off a few yards.

Now I am kind of stuck in this pricker bush and can’t kneel down or easily move for that matter but, I attempted to bleat with my mouth and it must have worked because I got the deer to stop. It was really thick in there and I could not see that well but I figured it was about 30 yards in front of me slightly moving it’s head to try and see what it heard (which was me). I could not make out if it was a doe or a buck but, it was alone and it was a adult by the size of the body. I bleated a couple more times before it decided it had enough and wanted to leave.

I at least was able to get a better look as it bounded off. Still not seeing if it was a buck or not but, at least I could tell that it was a very large deer. Awesome encounter none the less. I continued to head for my truck criss crossing over tracks and trails the whole way out. I did not find any sheds yet but, I got out in the fresh air and got to see a deer which was cool. That area just might work out for late season muzzleloader this season, I will keep that in mind.

Time to prepare and work on Deer season for 2008 and I am starting it off by studying Topographical maps. I wanted to try and take a little different approach to it this year because my time is limited and I will need as much info about the area’s that I am interested in without actually going out and physically looking around. I still want to get out as much as possible but, I figure if my schedule does not allow that than I have at least a idea of the terrain I will be concentrating on.

As I was looking for Topo maps on the net I found this site which I feel will serve my purposes very nicely and it is called TopoZone.

TopoZone is the Web’s center for professional and recreational map users. We’ve create the Web’s first interactive topo map of the entire United States, and now we’ve added Canada, too! And we’ve spent eight years making our maps the best on the Web as well.

Topography maps can help show you elevation, ridges, saddles, benches as well as where to find small ponds that can be used for watering holes. They can show you boundry lines and even easy access to and from your favorite honey hole. While I was looking online at a topo map of the area that I have been hunting for the past 17 years to get an idea of how the maps work I accidentally found another area of state forest that is not visibly marked and that I can almost bet no one knows about just by looking at the area that it is in. I will be concentrating on getting in there and looking around, especially at the end of winter into early spring. I plan to do some serious shed hunting to see what is still around for the coming season.

Here is an example of a topo map. They are confusing at first but, once you get used to reading one I think it will only benefit you in the long run.

Another handy tool that I will be taking with me while scouting new area’s to hunt for this year is a gps. With that I can store travel routes for me to use later on. I guess I am getting into the gadget phase but I will not let it make me forget that I still need to rely on that thing I have upstairs called a brain. I will be posting on my scouting exploits through out the year so stay tuned.